Your fist isn't what's hurting me
by nambnb
Summary: Tiger and Bunny fighting on the cruiser, Bunny fully intending to kill Kotetsu. Time set after Episode 22, before Episode 23 was released.


Your fist isn't what's hurting me

Tiger&Bunny-Fanfiction

Rating: M Warning: cruelty Timing: after Episode 22

Summary: Tiger and Bunny fighting on the cruiser, Bunny fully intending to kill Kotetsu.

They clashed against each other in midair, their good-luck-mode converted suit parts hitting each other – giant battering ram of a fist against giant stamper of a heel. The fierce attack's force of the blow doubled, since both hundred power enhanced men hit each other at the same time, and propelled both heros right against the cruiser's top deck.

The ship toppled under the impact, nearly sinking up to the prow, before snapping back in its former position with a nausea-causing sway and the waves splashing high around it. People screamed in fear, the ones being on deck clutched to the railing in an attempt to save themselves from going over board.

Tiger shook his head and tried to get up from the crashed splintering wood he had to use to put a stop to himself, when he heard a woman crying for her kid to have fallen overboard.

The moment he wanted to start up to the rescue, a foot sweep sent him flat on his back again. Having barely time to let out a groan, he had to roll aside to avoid a punch that now struck the wooden deck, cracking even more floorboards.

Bunny snapped at him. "Better focus on your opponent!"

"Can't you hear this? There are people needing our help!" Tiger tried a crouch start but was grabbed by the shoulder and punched hard in the face.

"Stop it!" Tiger wrestled himself free of Bunny's hold, following up with a face punch himself. "You can kick my ass, AFTER I saved that kid!" Not waiting for another argument to arise, Tiger dived right into the water, while the child's mother clung helplessly to the railing and shouted for him to rescue her son.

Groaning over his aching head, Bunny could not shake off his irritation. Why would this guy bother to save anyone?

The water splashed around Wild Tiger while he grabbed the kid and aimed for the railing with his wire. Seconds later he could hand over the boy to his mother's arms, who cuddled him with a relieving cry. Enjoying the scene for a second too long, Tiger could not avoid the spin hook kick aimed at his face and was pushed against the railing. Shaking his head he shouted at the startled woman. "Get away as fast as you can!"

Not waiting for the woman or Tiger do move even a muscle, Bunny rushed forward to grab Tiger's throat while closing in for another punch. "Don't screw with me!" The blow was so hard Tiger had barely survived without his hundred power activated and the suit shielding him from the worst damage.

"What are you trying to achieve by rescuing people after killing aunt Samantha?"

Another blow.

"Trying to convince me to believe your hero crap?"

Harder.

"Don't fuck with me!"

His hand stopped.

Tiger had grabbed him by the wrist, with his own hand shaking in the effort to keep Bunny's fist away from him. "Calm down, Barnaby! I said I didn't do it! When will that finally sink in?"

Only the visor shielded Tiger from Bunny's deathly glare and the bitten curse that emitted as a sharp hiss from beyond his helmet. His arm still fought against Tiger's hold, his muscles shaking with tension.

"Listen to me, dammit! Why would I even dare to lay a hand on that nice old woman? I have no motif! No reason at all!" Bunny snarled, fighting him. Winning this fight of will against Tiger seemed to be more important than using his usual kicks to decide this round.

"Besides, I would NEVER EVER kill anybody! Whom do I have to always remember that protecting people comes first, eh?"

Tiger's fist hit his partner's stomach hard enough to make him gasp for breath, before falling over. Why didn't Bunny see this coming?

"Sorry for that." Tiger kneeled down next to him trying to open his partner's visor, but failed with his new suit's design. Sighing, he opened his own helmet, and looked at him with troubled eyes behind his mask. "Come on, don't be so stubborn. At least open that damn helmet so you can catch your breath properly. I know how sticky the air gets in there even with the ventilation working."

If he could only kick that guy's ass! But Bunny's stomach hurt so badly, that he squirmed with pain. The other must have hit a good spot, since it hurt that much even when proteced by the armored suit. And Bunny was in no position to raise his leg high enough to kick his enemy.

Tiger gave him a pitying look. "Even if you won't open it, I know exactly how you look now: Like a wounded animal, ready to bite the hand of the one trying to save you."

"I don't need you to save me!" Bunny gasped in pain and grabbed his stomach harder, earning himself a sigh from Tiger and a light patting on his suit's head. Since Tiger was unable to pet his forehead for real - he hoped the gesture would count.

Tiger could not look at his timer but he had a feeling that his power might run out at any moment now. What would he do if Bunny lunged another attack at him? The suit would at least absorb more damage than his old one. But it was still about one minute and fifteen seconds that could end in serious pain and injuries. Would he be hospitalized again? With Kaede crying at his bedside this time? And where would he wake up then? At the police's hospital?

He sighed heavily again and stared sadly at the point where Bunny's eyes should be.

Even if his friends remembered him now, he still got the major problem right infront of him: His partner wanted to kill him for good. And nothing seemed to be able to convince him of his innocense.

Absentmindedly, he continued to pat Bunny's head.

"Stop that nonsense!" Bunny tried to get his head away from the man's hand.

"Don't you have the guts to kill me? Was quite easy to beat an old woman to death with a fireplace poker, huh? But killing a guy in a mechanical suit laying on the ground won't do?"

That sentence earned him an angry flick to his forehead by Tiger's finger.

"Be quiet, I'm trying to think here."

"Think! As if a lowlife like you would be able to process something like thoughts in your head!"

"Stop bickering at me! What would you do if you were framed for murder and nobody would believe you in spite of not having done it?" He gesticulated wildly. "So Maverick used his NEXT-powers to manipulate you. But I don't even know if he only screwed with your memories or fucked up your mind for good, since you don't stop to think anymore." He folded his arms, leaning over Bunny with a preaching look. "What's wrong with you, Barnaby? You didn't even rush into the scene when we thought Jake was right infront of us in his hideout. Heck, I did and got us into serious trouble. But you kept your cool and saw that something was off about him. Why can't you use that super analysing power on me now to see the truth, huh?"

What was that idiot babbling about? Maverick being a NEXT? Him having his memory messed with? The pain seemed to have faded enough to strike at this annoying guy again. What kind of attack should he use? The other was wide open by now. Normally, he would have worked out something already, but he had made the mistake to listen to the man's blather. Why did he even do that in the first place? 'Not thinking anymore'? He was thinking quite too much for his own taste.

Sixty seconds left before his power's countdown hit zero.

"Ne, Barnaby—" The kick was hard and tossed Tiger all over the deck, making him crash into one of the cabins. Bunny had aimed at his head and Tiger painfully realised that his power had run out by now. Groaning in distress, he tried to get himself in an upright position and hoped for his vision to clear again.

Bunny growled with every step he took towards him.

"Not only aunt Samantha, now it's Maverick, too. If you dare so much as lay a finger on him I swear I won't only kill you but tear you to shreds!"

He grabbed Tiger's head and pulled him up until the old man's feet barely reached the ground anymore. The older man was literally standing on his toes, grabbing the other's outstretched arm in an effort to balance himself.

Bunny punched him hard in the stomach as payback for having tasted that pain before. The strike pressed the air out of Tiger's lungs and he struggled for oxygen. But he had no time to recover, since the next blow followed with Bunny's elbow hitting the same spot. As Bunny's hand let go of his opponent Tiger blinked at him for mercy, but Bunny finished his attack with a roundhouse kick at Tiger's head, sending the old man flying against the already damaged wall of the cabin.

Tiger realised his grave error of having his visor removed as he slid off the wall and felt blood trickle down his broken nose. He convulsed and spit blood, probably from some internal bleeding. At least one rib seemed to have finally cracked as well. He was lucky to still be conscious and breathing, although flatly.

Bunny put his foot on Tiger's chest.

"How does it feel to be clubbed to death?"

He leaned forward, his weight pushing down on Tiger.

"Ne? What do you think? Painful enough?"

Supporting his elbow on his thigh with his head resting on his hand put even more pressure on his victim. Tiger fought for air, tried to move Bunny's foot away from his ribcage in a fruitless attempt and finally gave up. He looked up at his tormentor, staring deep at the spot where he assumed his eyes to be, and tried to form words, that could only be heard as suffocated gasps.

Who was this guy? What did he do with his partner? Had Maverick ripped Bunny's heart out and replaced it with a stone? He knew that Bunny was hurt. He knew that he could rage. But normally, that rage would be like a hot fire and not like a cold spear of ice piercing those around him with such malice.

Tears began running down his cheeks. It hurt. It hurt to see Bunny like this. It hurt to have his bones broken. It hurt to think of not seeing his family or his friends ever again. He knew for sure by now: Bunny was going to kill him.

"Crying now? Begging for mercy? You make me sick." He lifted his feet from Tiger's chest only to rise it high up in the air and prepared for a determining kick, that would probably come down too hard for anyone to survive.

"...Bun...ny... Don't..." Tiger rasped at pains. "Don't go down... this path."

Barnaby stopped moving in midair.

What did he just say?

"You are... a hero... remember? Don't become... a murderer now... Please... Bunny... listen to this... old man... at least once."

"You have got some nerves worrying about others and giving me weird nicknames while spouting your last words, old man."

Wait.

What was that?

That guy was worrying about him? And what did his age matter now?

No, it wasn't exactly 'age' that concerned him, it was that nickname he gave him.

He lost his composure, grabbed his head and took a step back. A headache struck him. Why? What was wrong now all of a sudden? What was—

"Bunny...?" The beaten up man groaned from his corner. "...Are you... okay...?"

"Hehe, be happy to live a bit longer instead of worrying about me, old man."

Again.

It was like a habit.

He needed to get himself together.  
>This man infront of him was Kaburagi T. Kotetsu, murderer of his beloved aunt Samantha and—No, something was off! Old man Kotetsu would never do something like this. But where did that sudden sureness come from, for God's sake? He wanted to kill him a moment ago!<p>

Frustrating!  
>Humiliating!<br>Throttling!

He needed fresh air. Off with the double-layered visor, off with the helmet!

He took a deep breath.

Suddenly, looking at the man he had beaten to a pulp hurt his soul. He lay there like a blade of grass somebody had trampled on with all his might. And he, Bunny himself, was that somebody.

Wait, what's with the Bunny-nickname again?

"Bunny... have you... calmed down...?"

The old man had barely enough breath to stay alive, he shouldn't talk.

Why was he even concerned with this now? It felt like something was at the tip of his tongue and he couldn't name it. Like he was supposed to know something he didn't. He caught himself wishing to comfort the old man now, to say he was sorry for hurting him. But the reason kept being hidden behind a cloud of infiltrating headaches.

Barnaby slumped down where he stood with a sigh and stared at Kaburagi T. Kotetsu. The man he could not bring himself to kill, even when he was only one strike away from achieving his sworn goal of revenge. At least arresting him would be no problem anymore.

"Ne, old man, what did you do to me? My head feels like mush and the pain is hammering so hard in there I feel like my skull could crack open any minute." He looked like a lost, distraught kid hoping for help with his lopsided sneer and empty eyes. Tiger tried to lift one arm in his direction. But the pain had engulfed his whole body by now. He needed all his strength to keep his arm at a level slightly above of his knee with his hand reaching out for Bunny and a crooked smile on his bleeding lips.

The seconds while Bunny tried to figure out the intentions of the other man seemed to stretch like ages for the wounded. He was on the verge of giving up, when Bunny finally started to skid over to him.

Barnaby did not think about it, he just did not feel any danger coming from that man now, even if he were to touch him. He moved close enough to sit next to him and grabbed Tiger's hand while staring blankly at his face. The old man grinned – slightly off – and then murmured something.  
>"...ed."<p>

"Huh?"

"Head..."

"'Head'?"

Tiger nodded slowly and tried to give Bunny a sign with his eyes.

Without thinking, Bunny put Tiger's hand on his head, since he remembered the old man trying to pet him before.

Tiger smiled happily and stroke Bunny's locks slowly.

"Good boy..."

Bunny cried.

There lay his gentle idiot of a partner, trying to comfort him after all he had done to him.

Why did it hurt so badly to remember him when it was so easy to forget all about him?


End file.
